2010 Chevy Camaro SS - Stiff Competition

We Fix Our Chassis Flex With A Few Bolt-On Parts From BMR.

•Making an already-capable car handle better is as much about tackling the little things as it is focusing on the more expensive, bigger items. This is especially true in regards to suspension upgrades and chassis stiffening. Keep in mind that when GM churns out a performance car like the 2010 Chevy Camaro SS, their idea of "performance" is quite a bit different than how us gearheads think of it. To a GM engineer, it's winding down a mountain road on factory rubber. They didn't plan on superchargers, sticky tires, or driving ten-tenths on a road course or autocross track. The net result is that parts and structures fine for a stock Camaro can falter when the performance envelope is pushed beyond a certain point.

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The Zeta platform, on which the '10 Camaro is based, offers a pretty solid chassis, but it can be made stiffer by way of subframe connectors. A longtime staple of Camaro enthusiasts, subframe connectors work by tying together sections of the car's chassis into one cohesive unit, thereby helping reduce flex. Flex is bad, since it results in small but performance-robbing and unpredictable suspension geometry changes.

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Swapping out key suspension parts also makes improvements. Remember, GM builds parts based on a car staying stock, and for this the stamped-steel suspension and chassis parts are more than sufficient. Nonetheless, when subjected to the higher side loading of aggressive driving, these parts can flex, causing unwanted suspension geometry changes. In addition, the soft rubber bushings used by the factory to ensure a cushy, noise-free ride deform and rob handling performance. The goal is to stiffen these parts to keep the handling predictable, but not to the point where the car rides like a floor jack.

To stiffen up our SS a bit, we ordered some beefier parts from BMR and went to Hot Rod Specialties in Upland, California, for some "quality time" with our wrenches.

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2010 Chevy Camaro SS - Stiff Competition

We picked up four items from the BMR catalog to help stiffen up our '10 SS. The trailing arms (PN TCA026, $139.95) will help minimize wheel hop. A pair of stronger toe rods (PN TR002, $119.95) will keep our toe settings from erratically changing during aggressive maneuvers, while the subframe connectors (PN SFC015, $249.95) will stiffen up the chassis. Lastly, we replaced the OE stamped steel driveshaft tunnel brace with BMR's stronger version (PN DTB004, $89.95).

With the Camaro on a drive-on lift, we started by removing the lower trailing arm. Our general plan was to finish the driver side before moving to the passenger side. Nothing special is needed in terms of tools, just make sure you have a great selection of metric wrenches.

It's fairly easy to see how much stronger the new trailing arm is compared to the stamped steel stocker. This means that our caster settings won't change under hard cornering. They are fabricated from 1x2-inch steel tubing and 3/16-inch CNC-cut steel plates. We went with the fluted, grease-able, low-deflection polyurethane bushings, which are far superior to the rubber OE bushings. BMR also offers a low-friction, Teflon-lined spherical bearings version (PN TCA027, $239.95).

The new trailing arm simply bolts on in place of the stocker. We left the end that connects to the chassis disconnected while we tackled the toe rod above it.

The new trailing arm simply bolts on in place of the stocker. We left the end that connects to the chassis disconnected while we tackled the toe rod above it.

And here are the nearly installed trailing and toe arms. We did run into one issue involving the inner toe rod bolt (yellow arrow) on the driver side. It was really difficult to get this out since it ran into the gas tank before being all the way out of the hole. Since we didn't want to drop the tank, we used a prybar to gently deform the tank until the bolt came out of the hole. On reassembly, we simply reversed the bolt and ran it in the opposite direction (with the nut on the side facing the tank). This wasn't an issue on the passenger side.

The insert for the outer frame was a bit trickier to get into place. We inserted it into the slotted hole and then carefully maneuvered it until it lined up with the two frame holes (red arrows). We also had a small magnet on hand just in case we knocked it too far out of position.

Lastly, we installed the new driveshaft tunnel brace. It's easy to see this brace is far stronger than the flimsy stamped steel factory piece. Also, all of the BMR parts can be ordered in black hammer tone or red powdercoat finishes.

We scribed around the eccentric before removing the stock toe rod. This helped us at least be in the ballpark alignment-wise when the swap was done.

Here's how the outer inserts should look when properly in place.

Here are the new subframe connectors fully installed. Total time to get them installed was a leisurely hour. Combined with the rear trailing and toe arms, we had less than three hours invested. After an alignment, we will have to hit the track to see if we notice a difference.

The toe rod's job is to hold and maintain the toe settings of the rear wheels, similar to tie rods up front. The new ones are much stronger and, like the trailing arms, employ poly bushings for even less deflection. BMR also offers an adjustable version.

The BMR subframe connectors use factory holes in the frame, but not all of these holes are threaded. To solve this, BMR provides inserts. The one shown here adds a nut to the hole and clearance for the rear bolt (which already has a nut welded in the frame hole). The extended handle made it easy to get in place.

With the inserts installed, we could then attach the subframe connectors. The connectors increase stiffness by joining three key areas of the vehicle's chassis. Constructed of 1x1-inch tubing (0.120 wall thickness), they are definitely strong enough, and their low-profile design doesn't kill ground clearance.